WASHINGTON — The Council for Responsible Nutrition on Thursday announced it will serve as a promotional partner for the one-day scientific symposium "Vitamin D: Beyond Bone," presented by the New York Academy of Sciences, The Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science and the Abbott Nutrition Health Institute.

The keynote speaker will be Daniel Bikle, professor of medicine and dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco, and co-director of the Special Diagnostic and Treatment Unit of the San Francisco VA Medical Center.

The conference will explore recent epidemiological data and the known underlying mechanisms behind vitamin D’s effects on pregnancy, lactation, immune, metabolic, muscle and cardiovascular functions. In addition, the agenda will cover recent changes to vitamin D dietary guidelines and critical next steps in research to help translate data into public health strategies that support the wellbeing of infants, adults and the aging population.